Alarms and Diversions
Alarms and Diversions is episode 2 of the second season of The Worst Witch TV series. It was preceeded by Old Hats and New Brooms, and followed by It's a Frogs Life. Part of Alarms and Diversions is based on the third Worst Witch book, A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch. Plot Miss Cackle decides it is time to upgrade the school's alarm system, and Mr Blossom has concocted a wonderful contraption with levers and pulleys all around the school. It is not wholly reliable and inevitable false alarms ensue. Meanwhile, the girls are learning finger sparks to enhance the effect of spells with Miss Hardbroom; Mildred uses a bit too much creating an explosion. Sybil fails her broomstick flying test and Mildred tries to make her feel more comfortable, but she always seems to say the wrong thing. Meanwhile, Miss Cackle decides to have a surprise fire drill. Mildred wakes up to the sound of the alarm blaring and tells Maud to go on ahead. While she's on her way down the hall she looks out the window and sees Miss Hardbroom floudering about in the smokey courtyard. Thinking quickly she fills a fire bucket with water and hops onto the emergency broom (like a fire axe but a broom) and flies out the window. Hovever, Mildred finds that balancing a fire bucket is harder than she thought and it falls into the smoke landing with a crash. As the smoke clears, Mildred sees that The bucket has landed upside down on top of Miss Hardbroom's head. Even worse, it seems that the rest of the school managed to make it into the courtyard without incident and they're all looking at her. She lands and looks sheepishly at her teacher. "There is no need," says Miss Hardbroom from under the bucket, "to ask which pupil is responsible for this." Mildred helps her get the bucket off and Ethel brings Miss Hardbroom a cloak. Too angry to even loose her temper, Miss Hardbroom turns and walks back into the school with Miss Cackle chasing after her. Mildred, of course, feels simply dreadful, and her friends do their best to cheer her up. Later on there's a real emergency (caused by Enid and Ethel sending spells at each other) and a magical cyclone traps Sybil in her room. Miss Drill is unable to get past it to save her, and Mildred gets the brilliant idea to cause another explosion with the finger spark potion. She manages to save Sybil and is awarded the Cackle's Academy Medal for bravery. Quotes Mr Blossom: "An emergency, like fire, flood, earthquake or one of Miss Bat's Mongolian chanting sessions!" HB: “I believe this is what they call a malfunction." Girls all laugh and HB has a little smile. (fire alarm going off) HB: “What are we going to do with the girls? They'll think it's a drill.”(fire alarm going off) Miss Cackle: “What's Miss Drill got to do with it?” (fire alarm going off) Miss Bat: "FIRE! EARTHQUAKE!﻿ VOLCANO! FLOODING! TIDAL WAVE! METEOR!!!" HB: "Alarm I hear no alarm do you?" HB: “we obviously need a proper fire practice, now that the new alarm is working at last, with everyone warned and prepared for it to happen?”(fire alarm going off)Miss Bat: “Shouldn't it be a surprise?”(fire alarm going off)HB: “I DON'T MEAN ANNOUNCE THE EXACT TIME!” HB: (with bucket on head) "THERE IS NO NEED TO ASK WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ... MILDRED HUBBLE!!!!!" Category:1998 TV Series